What Goes Up, Must Come Down
by PlainJaneIam
Summary: Life spiraled out of control while the words of Robert Frost rang loud and clear, "Forgive, O Lord, my little jokes on Thee, And I'll forgive Thy great big one on me." -- "Cluster of Faith," 1962
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:**** Sadly, I do not own ****Without A Trace**** of any of the characters therein.**

**A/N:**** This is my new project. I'll go ahead and warn you that it's a work in progress, so updates will be slow... but that's nothing new... I'm not exactly prompt with updates :) Anyway...**

**I hope you like it and please READ AND REVIEW. Comments are appreciated.**

**Chapter 1**

Walking into the Federal building that morning, Samantha couldn't force away the smile taking over her every feature. Try as she might, she knew it was pointless. Lately that's all she could seem to do. And it was solely because of one person.

Martin Fitzgerald.

In the short three months they'd been dating, her life had become exponentially happier. She'd never been a depressed person; she had a beautiful apartment, great friends, and the job of her dreams, but she'd always felt like something was missing. Someone was missing.

Then, he'd sauntered into her life with that dimpled grin and bright blue eyes and changed her life for the better.

:::::

_Six months ago _

_After nearly 15 hours of searching, Craig Marshall's photograph was beginning to haunt her. Every lead seemed like a dead end, and any signs of hope were dwindling. She peered up at the chiseled jaw, chocolate brown eyes, and mocha skin from where it loomed on the whiteboard nearby for what felt like the hundredth time before refocusing on page after page of credit card receipts and phone records. Still there was nothing out of the ordinary._

_Again her eyes were drawn to the picture. The city was bathed in darkness and cast an eerie shadow across the smiling face. From all accounts, Craig was a wonderful man. He taught eighth grade at an inner city school, and all of his students loved him. He had a beautiful wife and a four year-old daughter waiting for him to come home. His parents had flown in from Ohio earlier that day filled with worry. All of them wanted answers, and she had none to give._

_Her silent contemplation was interrupted sometime later by the sound hurried footsteps rushing into bullpen. Danny and Jack along with another agent she'd never met before claimed the empty chairs around her at the conference table and spread several files over the polished wood, covering her own file folder in the process._

_"What's going on?" She wondered, poking through the papers scattered in front of her._

_"This is Agent Martin Fitzgerald. He works up in Violent Crimes." Jack answered, thumbing through a stack of papers. "They found Marshall's car outside Port Authority."_

_"Why did VC get the call about the car instead of us?" Sam asked Agent Fitzgerald, noticing for the first time just how handsome he was. His light brown hair was tousled, giving him the just-rolled-out-of-bed look, and as he shifted his focus to her, she nearly lost herself in a brilliant shade of blue. _

_"The tag had been swapped out, and the back seat of the car was covered in blood spatter. NYPD called us when they found a body bound and gagged in the trunk." He explained, holding her gaze a few seconds longer than necessary. "We've had 4 similar cases across New York and New Jersey, but we don't have a single suspect." He paused, pulling out a photo of a bloody, battered body and sliding it towards her. "Forensics ID'd the body this morning. It's Derrick Marshall, Craig's younger brother."_

_"So, what? You think Craig is dead too?" She asked, shifting her eyes to each of the men._

_"We don't know for certain, but it's beginning to look that way." Jack replied, rubbing the sleep from his eyes. It was nearing 5AM, and the lack of sleep was beginning to take its toll on all of them. "I think it's time we turn the case over to VC."_

_"What? Jack, I don't think-"_

_"Sam, all of our leads have gone cold, and no new information is coming in. There's nothing else for us to do." He interrupted. "You can go on home. Turn your report in tomorrow."_

_She sighed deeply, allowing her eyes to drift towards Martin before setting on Jack. "If it's all the same, I'd like to stay and help Agent Fitzgerald."_

_"If it's okay with him, it's okay with me." Jack commented standing and collecting his stack of papers. "Just don't come crying to me if we get another case in today, and you haven't gotten any sleep."_

_Her colleagues scurried back to their desks, leaving her alone with Martin. He gave her a small smile and nodded towards the elevator. "Want to head upstairs and see what's going on with the case?"_

_"Yeah. Let me grab my stuff." She stood from the conference table, making her way to her own desk to collect her things. She deposited the case file in a basket atop her desk before grabbing her purse and coat and joining Martin at the entrance to the bullpen. "Okay."_

_The two walked side by side to the elevator and waited patiently for the metal doors to slide open. "Thanks for letting me in on this." She said with a sad smile. _

_"It's no problem. We need all the help we can get." He replied, guiding her into the vacant car, his hand resting gently on her low back. _

_They worked the case for three more hours together before Craig Marshall's body was pulled from the Hudson. He was victim number six of the elusive killer lurking just beyond their reach._

:::::

"Looks like someone had a good time this weekend." Danny smirked, propping himself on the edge of Samantha's desk. "So I take it the trip went as planned."

"It did." She smiled, thinking back on the few days she and Martin had spent together upstate in his family's cabin. She refocused her eyes on her computer screen, unwilling to divulge any more detail than that to Danny.

"Leave her alone, Danny. She doesn't have to tell you anything." Vivian ordered over her shoulder, giving the Latino agent a pointed glare before smiling at the two of them and returning to her work.

"Are you trying to hit on my woman, Taylor?" She heard a voice ask from behind her a few minutes later. A smile crept over her face as she turned her head to meet Martin's gaze from across the bullpen. "Just when I was beginning to like you, man." He added as an afterthought, continuing towards the two of them, a sly grin evident on his lips.

Danny chuckled, standing from where he was perched on her desk. "Me and Sam? No way." He assured his friend. "She's too hardheaded for me." He quipped, dodging the playful punch she threw at him. "And she's violent."

"I'm hardheaded? You're one to talk." Sam scoffed jokingly. Martin took Danny's place at the edge of her desk, entwining his fingers loosely with hers causing the corners of her mouth to pull further towards her eyes.

"Yeah, yeah. You still love me." Their friend commented as he made his way back to his desk, giving the two of them as much privacy as was possible in the crowded office.

"Good morning." He smiled before brushing his lips quickly over hers. Her cheeks flushed at the simple display of affection, and he couldn't help but press another light kiss to her temple.

The first few months of their relationship, she'd been a bit hesitant about admitting that they were dating. He still wasn't exactly sure why, but now that everyone knew they were together, he took every chance he got to shower her with affection.

"Good morning." Samantha replied, running her free hand absentmindedly over his forearm sending a trail of goose bumps up and down his spine. "What are you doing down here?"

"Just caught a spare minute and decided to come see what you were up to."

"Oh, well, nothing at the moment. We haven't had a case come in, so we're just doing paperwork."

He glanced over her desk, seeing several unfinished reports lying around. A picture taped above the computer monitor caught his eye as he looked over the various awards and memorabilia she had situated over the wooden surface. "Where'd you get this?" He asked gesturing to the photo of them. Wide smiles covered their lips and their faces were inches apart as they were wrapped tightly in one another's arms.

"Allison emailed it to me. She took it at Ava's birthday party." She answered, remembering that night very well. It was the first time she'd met any of his family, and the entire day was chaos. They'd arrived at the Toland's "small" birthday party for Ava to find not only the family but 15 other children and their parents as well. Needless to say, it was an interesting day.

"I like it." He smiled. "I'll have to get a copy of it."

She slipped her hand out of his, pulling her desk drawer open and rummaging through the contents. Beneath a pack of sticky notes, she found a duplicate of the photograph she'd printed a few days earlier. "I already made you one." She stated, handing it to him.

"Thank you." Martin answered through a smile, noticing Jack's gaze linger over them before disappearing into his office. "I guess I better get back upstairs. I don't want to get you in trouble."

"Dinner tonight?"

His blue eyes locked onto her brown ones as he brushed a strand of blonde hair behind her ear. "Wouldn't miss it for the world." He leaned in, pressing his lips gently to hers before pulling away.

Samantha held tightly to his hand as he made an attempt to stand and walk away. She tugged it gently, pulling him to her for another kiss before finally releasing her grasp on him. "I'll see you later."

He backed away from her, reluctant to tear his eyes from hers. "Don't miss me too much." He quipped with a boyish grin, finally turning and heading for the elevator.

As clichéd as it sounded, she couldn't help but miss him when he wasn't around. He was fast becoming the constant in her life, the person she thought of before anyone else, the person she shared her every hope and fear with. Although neither of them had said it yet, she knew it was love.

For the first time in a long time, she was excited about what the future held in store.

Little did she know how quickly her life would spin out of control.


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:**** Sorry it took so long to get the next chapter up, but in all fairness, I did warn you that updates would be slow. :)**

**Disclaimer****: I don't own anything to do with ****Without a Trace****.**

**Chapter 2**

"How are things with the little lady?" Martin's friend and partner, Kyle Ainsley asked.

The wide grin on the blue-eyed agent's face more than answered his question, but he couldn't help but give the guy a hard time. He'd been on cloud nine all morning. If possible Martin's smile grew even more as he leaned back in his chair, his hands clasped together behind his head. "Things are great."

"Then I guess I don't even have to ask where you disappeared to earlier." Kyle smirked, wagging his eyebrows suggestively at his partner. "Had an early morning romp with a certain blonde agent in the file room, huh?"

"That right there is why you'll never get a second date." He pointed out, trying to stop a blush from making its way to his cheeks at the thought his friend had elicited.

Kyle raised his eyebrows in obvious amusement then made a wide sweeping motion over his tailored suit and picture perfect GQ look, complete with a dark tan, blonde hair, and warm hazel eyes. "Who needs a second date? One is all I need." He replied with his usual cocky tone and sly grin.

"Oh, please, Casanova. You haven't had a date in weeks, and I'm not sure you're luck will change anytime soon." Erin Billings said tossing her purse onto her desk and taking a seat at the conference table in the center of the room. She pushed a strand of wavy brown hair behind her ear, before focusing her own hazel eyes on the reddening face of her colleague. "Trust me. The women in this place know all about you Ainsley."

"Let me break this up before you two start swinging." The SAC John Rosen said with a bright smile. Agent Rosen was one of the younger SAC's in the New York office, and everyone seemed to like the charismatic African American currently leading their unit. What amazed Martin the most about him though wasn't his accomplishments at the Bureau. It was the fact that he was able to do his job everyday and be home every night to eat dinner with his wife and tuck his five year old son into bed. His chocolate brown eyes swept across the room as he joined his team at the conference table and spread several folders over the wooden tabletop. "This is Sarah Roberts." He informed them, passing a photo of a beautiful young woman with golden blonde hair around the table. "She was raped yesterday afternoon in Central Park. The detailed description she gave of her attacker matches the prime suspect in each of these cases." He paused, opening the other folders in front of him and pulling sketches of the suspect from each one. "NYPD called us this morning. They've been chasing this guy for weeks and need all the help they can get. So, let's get to work."

:::::

Almost immediately after Martin's escape that morning, a case came in sending the entire Missing Persons team into a flurry of activity.

A four year old boy had disappeared from a daycare center in the upper east side of Manhattan. Heir to a billion dollar real estate firm, Preston Albritton was more than a top priority. Nearly every television station in the tri-state area had learned of the incident and was already showing his picture and badgering the FBI for details. As of yet, there were none to give.

Jack stood over his team who were situated around the large conference table, busily scribbling down details and notes about the case. He secured the photo of the smiling redhead to the whiteboard before turning to face his three agents.

"Viv, I need you to go to the Albritton's home to set up for a ransom call and interview the parents." He ordered, and she stood from the table to collect her things before heading out.

"Danny, you stay here and man the phones. Every TV station around is all over this story, and calls are already flooding in." He followed suit, returning to his desk and sifting through the already lengthy list of possible sightings reported.

"Sam, we're going to the daycare to speak to the staff and see if we can't get a clearer picture of what happened today." Jack finished, giving the three of them a final pointed glance. "We need a good result out of this one." With that, he turned and walked out of the bullpen, disappearing into his office.

Samantha grabbed her cell phone and badge before fastening her gun to her belt. Her eyes drifted to the young boy's picture as she made her way to Jack's office. His rosy cheeks were covered in freckles, his auburn hair combed neatly to one side, and a toothy grin shined proudly on his face. The picture absolutely oozed innocence.

Over all her years working Missing Persons, Samantha had learned how horrible people could be to one another, but it never ceased to amaze her how cruel people could be to children. The lowest of low cases were the ones involving children. Those were the ones that affected them all.

"You coming?" Jack called to her from the entrance of the bullpen.

She simply nodded and followed him out of the office, Preston's big brown eyes and wide grin at the forefront of her mind.

Sliding into the passenger seat of the Bureau car, she felt her cell phone vibrate in her pocket. A small smile crossed her lips as she pulled it out and saw a text message from Martin awaiting her. It wasn't uncommon for him to text or call her throughout the day just to see how she was doing or to tell her something he knew would make her smile, and such simple gestures always made her smile.

_"Heard about the little boy. Hope everything works out. :)"_

_"Thanks. Dinner may be later than expected. I'll call you when I get a chance." _She wrote back, slipping the phone into her pocket. Sometimes it seemed like he knew her better than she knew herself.

"Boy Wonder checking up on you?" Jack quipped, jealousy dripping from every word.

"Don't Jack." She stated forcefully giving him a hard glare. Despite the fact that the affair had been over for over four years and that it'd only lasted a grand total of three months, Jack still couldn't seem to get over it.

At the time it felt right. They both had holes in their lives that the other was willing to fill, but in hindsight it was easy to see that the 'relationship' was doomed from the start. In the end, he went back to the comfort of his wife and kids, and she was left all alone again. Thanks mostly to Vivian she was able to move on and see that she deserved much more than Jack would ever be able to offer.

"Don't what?"

"Don't call him that. Don't act like you know anything about him or me or our relationship, okay? Just leave it alone." She snapped at him. He was constantly trying to find opportunities to take a shot at Martin or their relationship, and she was tired of it.

"Sorry. It's none of my business." He answered by way of a forced apology.

"No, it's not." She agreed, avoiding his gaze. A sigh of relief slipped passed her pursed lips as Jack parked the car in front of the childcare facility. She took a deep breath to calm herself before slipping into work mode and walking briskly to the front door, her partner trailing slowly behind.

From the outside, the building looked safe and sound. The front door was locked securely in place with a code key and card scanner situated to one side and a voice intercom on the other. Each of the windows were mirrored, obscuring one's view of the inside, and video cameras were visible on each corner of the building as well as one posted high in a tree across the sidewalk, providing a view of passersby.

Jack pressed the small button beneath the intercom. "Agents Malone and Spade. We're with the FBI and are investigating Preston Albritton's disappearance."

"Someone will come for you shortly." The distorted but clearly female voice answered in reply, drawing an annoyed sigh from the SAC's lips.

"Well, I think it's safe to say no one could get in here unnoticed." Sam pointed out, running a hand over her forehead, removing the perspiration beginning to form at her brow. The summer sun beat down on them, their black suits drinking in every sweltering drop of heat.

"Agreed." He practically growled and rolled his eyes as the door finally slid open to reveal a tall, heavyset man in a suit much like his own.

"Can I see some ID?" The man asked politely, although Sam could sense in his tone that refusal was not an option. The two complied, displaying the FBI badge for him to see. "Follow me." He ordered leading them over the threshold before relocking the front door and gesturing them towards a large office set to the right side of the small hallway they were standing in.

"For some reason I don't think these people are going to be very helpful." Jack commented in her direction.

She nodded her head slowly, refusing to meet his wandering eyes. "I was thinking the same thing."

Making presumptions and recognizing patterns based on past experience was part of their job. And past experiences with the high society weren't exactly pleasant ones. She'd been in these kinds of places before. The kind where some lives are valued higher than others. The kind where looking out for your reputation is deemed more important than looking out for someone else's well-being. Sadly enough, being part of the upper class usually meant little cooperation with the FBI. For Preston's sake, she hoped she was wrong this time. If he was going to be found quickly, they'd need all the help they could get.

**PLEASE READ AND REVIEW...**


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